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Sumitomo SHI FW leading the charge at carbon capture expos – 4 key drivers shaping the industry

31 January 2025
  • Article

Many industries are embracing new technologies to achieve their net-zero emission goals. This dynamic field is constantly evolving, with new, innovative solutions continuously emerging to address environmental challenges with greater effectiveness. To showcase and promote these technologies and strategies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, carbon capture expos play a crucial role.

For Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW), it’s paramount to be an active player in the global transformation towards a decarbonized future, to showcase our innovations, exchange information about the latest advancements in carbon capture and storage, and foster collaborations. That is why in 2024, we participated in two of the world’s largest events for carbon capture, utilization and storage: the Carbon Capture Technology Expo Europe in Hamburg and the Carbon Capture Technology Expo North America in Houston.

Discover the four key insights we gathered from the events, shaping a path towards a sustainable future.

Takeaway 1: The question on everyone’s mind – How mature are carbon capture technologies?

“As carbon capture is still a relatively new market, many people are wondering how mature the technologies are,” says Frank Ligthart, the Vice President of Circular Carbon at SFW.

“Even though carbon capture technologies have a long history in the oil and gas industry, they are now being adapted for new applications, particularly for removing CO2 from flue gases.”

Due to their introduction into new areas of use, many of these solutions and applications are the first of their kind, leaving some people wondering about the maturity level and long-term viability of these novel technologies.

While being relatively new, many carbon capture technologies are already extensively tested.

“SFW, for example, provides three carbon capture solutions, extensively tested and ready for deployment at Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL 8),” explains Ligthart.

“We have developed our Oxy-fuel solution (SFW Oxy+) for over 20 years and have successfully demonstrated it at an industrial scale in Spain for approximately a decade.”

SFW is also conducting carbon capture demonstration campaigns in Sweden utilizing a CapsolGo unit, a mobile carbon capture system provided by Capsol Technologies. The unit utilizes the Hot Potassium Carbonate (SFW HPC+) process and incorporates Capsol's patented EoPTM heat recovery technology.

Furthermore, SFW is participating in four demonstration projects for Calcium Looping (SFW Cal+) to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology.

Takeaway 2: The CO2 storage and utilization challenge – What to do with the captured CO2?

As companies aim to store the captured CO2 to mitigate emissions, they encounter hurdles in storage site development, permits, and navigating complex regulations that slow down the process.

“In Europe, most CO2 storage sites are offshore under the sea, raising concerns about monitoring CO2 permanence and liability,” explains Ligthart.

Even though CO2 storage can be challenging, it can also offer benefits. Storing biogenic CO2 can generate negative emissions, helping offset unavoidable emissions and meeting the need for carbon removal.

CO2 can also be used as a raw material. Combined with hydrogen, it can be made into synthetic hydrocarbons or synthetic fuels.

“At SFW, we see storage and utilization currently the biggest obstacles slowing down the market development,” says Ligthart.

Takeaway 3: Carbon capture must be made more energy-efficient

Improving energy efficiency in carbon capture is crucial, as the current energy penalty for traditional methods of capturing CO2 from flue gases remains high.

“To capture the CO2 from the flue gases, they must come into contact with a solvent that absorbs the carbon dioxide,” explains Ligthart.

“Recycling the solvent for reuse involves stripping the CO2 from it, which requires a considerable energy input due to the use of steam and heat.”

This energy-intensive step is the primary challenge with carbon capture technologies, directly influencing the feasibility of the technologies. Therefore, enhancing the energy efficiency of the process is key to the broader application of carbon capture.

“SFW’s processes offer a relative low energy penalty,” Ligthart reveals.

“For example, our Oxy-fuel technology involves combustion with oxygen instead of air, resulting in flue gases that are already primarily composed of CO2, thus eliminating the need for separate CO2 capture.”

Takeaway 4: Carrots and sticks – The different mechanisms driving decarbonization

While both the US and Europe are committed to decarbonization, their approaches differ significantly. Europe relies on regulatory measures, or sticks, to drive decarbonization efforts, whereas the US leans towards incentivizing actions through strategies resembling carrots.

“In the US, tax credits, subsidies, and rewards are the main mechanisms driving decarbonization, with the Department of Energy offering favorable loan terms to project developers to facilitate the implementation of carbon capture projects,” explains Ligthart.

Europe's primary driver for decarbonization, on the other hand, is the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), which applies a price on fossil CO2 emissions, pushing industries to invest in carbon capture to mitigate costs. Nevertheless, initiatives in Sweden and Denmark focus on creating negative emissions by permanently storing biogenic CO2, supported by subsidies and incentives to encourage implementation and reward carbon capture efforts.

Due to the different mechanisms driving decarbonization, the industries actively engaged in carbon capture vary between Europe and the US. In Europe, where regulatory measures like the ETS play a significant role, the cement industry, already part of the ETS, and the waste-to-energy sector, slated to join by 2028, are at the forefront of exploring carbon capture technologies. Conversely, in the US, there is pronounced interest among sectors such as power generation, synthetic fuel production, and blue hydrogen development.

Meet us in the upcoming events:

In 2025, you will find us in the following expos:  

We can help you with:

  • Alternative carbon capture solutions delivering clear customer benefits such as reduced energy consumption, enhanced health and safety profile and easier permitting
  • Not only capturing CO2 but also create additional value. Central to our Carbon Capture Plus solutions is the focus on creating additional revenue streams and exploring synergies to maximize project feasibility.